(l-r) Virginia De La Piedra recognizes Joe Ricards (and all of Fillmore's FFA members) for wining many awards at the Ventura County Fair.
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The first order of business on Tuesday, September 20 at the meeting of the Board of Education for the Fillmore Unified School District was to recognize the many awards received at the Ventura County Fair by students in the Fillmore Chapter of Future Farmers of America. Of note and in attendance: Marc Zavala- First Place (out of 300) for Swine Showmanship, Swine Reserve Grand Champion; Macie Wokal- Reserve Grand Champion Replacement Heifer; Aaron Largon- First Place Steer Showmanship; Sierra Blankenship- Second Place Swine Showmanship. The Fillmore FFA took first place for keeping their area ship shape. The Board then presented Joe Ricards with a certificate acknowledging his dedication towards, and support of the FFA program in Fillmore.

Student Representative Sammy Martinez reported on the events currently going on during Homecoming Week at Fillmore High School. Various games and events are taking place culminating in a parade and dance this weekend. The end of the quarter is fast approaching and in October the Senior Ball will take place.

The first speaker during public comment was Norma Perez Sanford, “I’m here to say Thank You.” She explained how she has been “holding onto the Dr. Neil Schmidt Family Resource Center” in Fillmore and that it is time for her to move on. Sanford commented on the many generous donors and volunteers who contributed to provide needed items to families and children in Fillmore through the Center and thanked the Board for the opportunity to serve. Next a resident of Piru, Danny Golson presented a question to the Board regarding an “impact fee [given to FUSD in] February 2011.” In written correspondence obtained by the Gazette FUSD was paid $269,414.64 in impact fees from Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (CEDC). This payment is meant to mitigate the effects of growth in the District resulting from the current construction of farm-worker housing on East Center Street in Piru. Golson asked the Board “How [was that money] divided [among the schools]?” Board President Virginia De La Piedra reminded Golson that the Board cannot legally respond to questions posed during public comment but that she is sure the information can be obtained. Later in the meeting, during the time allocated for the Superintendents report, Director of Business Services Michael Bush responded to Golson’s question, “Developer fees can only be used to mitigate future growth [and] cannot be used for modernization of existing classroom units.” He further explained, “[the impact fees have been] set aside to mitigate growth in the district… it will be used to mitigate growth.” Bush was unable to respond to a question of how it will be used to mitigate growth prior to the press deadline. California Education Code Section 17620 states, “The governing board of any school district is authorized to levy a fee…against any construction…for the purpose of funding the construction or reconstruction of school facilities.” XXX In addressing another question Bush explained how Edge Development, the general contractor building Rio Vista School, is receiving payments. He explained that in 2006 FUSD “entered into a mitigation agreement with Griffith Homes which subsequently was assumed by Hearthstone”; he went on to state that the agreement outlined how the District would work with the developer to “apply for State money.” That was done and FUSD received a State grant for Rio Vista. Pursuant to State law that money was deposited in an account with the Ventura County Office of Education and will be used to pay construction costs as bills are signed off. Bush reported that so far the State funds are paying for “Contractor [fees], architect fees and the DSA Inspector [fees].”According to the materials provided to the Board, FUSD paid Edge Development $368,087.48 on August 2, 2011. Bush then informed the Board on the ongoing State budget process and how it is likely to lead to midyear cuts this school year. He informed the Board about Governor Jerry Brown’s veto of SBX1 6 which according to the Governors press release dated September 16, 2011 would have “[required] the Director of the Department of Finance to consult with legislative leaders on alternatives to the cuts outlined in the [State] budget and thereby raise questions that could affect the Sales of Revenue Anticipation Notes and General Obligation Bonds.” Essentially Brown was concerned about the States credit rating and maintained the “trigger” language contained in the approved budget. That language leads to automatic cuts in several areas including K-12 education should the State revenue not meet projections. Bush reported that at this point those projections are not met, thus he expects midyear cuts for FUSD to be triggered in December. The projection for this fiscal year was that State revenue would be up $4.1 billion from last year, Bush stated “Not only are we [not ahead $4.1 billion], we are $134 million short of last year.” When the automatic cuts take place, according to Bush, it will result in $350 per student reduction for FUSD, resulting in a total cut of $1.2 million. Bush reminded the Board that those cuts will result in the elimination of “100% of our home [to school] transportation and 4% of our revenue limit, our general purpose monies.”

Director of Human Resources Todd Schieferle reported that negotiations with CSEA (California School Employees Association) are set to begin on September 21, 2011. He also informed the Board that the Alternative Governance Board presented staff at Piru Elementary School with a timeline for the year, which included dates for site visits, and deadlines. On Friday, September 23 the Middle School will receive its timeline from the AGB. Three schools (Fillmore Middle School, San Cayetano Elementary and Piru) in FUSD are working with the AGB in order to improve test scores and student achievement in an effort to get those schools out of “PI” (Program Improvement) status.

Assistant Superintendent Michael Johnson updated the Board on progress related to the instructions of Superintendent Alan Nishino to make sure that District-wide systems are in place in various areas to create a common background for learning for all students in FUSD. Johnson described two “crucial committees” that are already in place in FUSD but are being revamped under his direction, “[Their appointed tasks and] direction are going to be slightly different than in previous years.” First he described the Essential Standards Committee (ESC) “consisting mostly of elementary school teachers” and the second committee “is a K-12…Curriculum Committee”. He explained how the existing ESC has been “broken up into three different task forces.” The first, Report Card Task Force, will focus on ensuring that report cards are “standard based, so that the report card measures what the State says [is] essential for our students to learn.” The second group will work on the Pacing Guide for teachers. They will examine the curriculum and then “map it out so the standards are covered throughout the year.” Johnson explained that these guides are crucial tools for teachers to ensure that the essential standards are covered in the time available and “[they will ensure] that there is time given for re-teaching and intervention.” The third task force will focus on assessment, and it will be based on the pacing guides. Assessments will be done at the end of each trimester so that teachers will know where the gaps in learning are, and can re-teach or intervene depending on what is needed for that particular student. These three groups are working now. The Curriculum Committee is broken up into five groups that “will be looking at systems” at every campus, in every classroom throughout the District. The idea is to ensure that a second grader at Piru and a second grader at Sespe are held to the same expectations and that all adults in the classroom are held to the same standards as well, creating a common background in learning for each student. The first three groups are, Study Habits, Classroom Climate, and Teaching Strategy. Johnson continued “Two areas that really need addressing, because there is no scope and sequence that has been developed in these two areas. One is Math, we would like to have a sequence from 6th grade to 12 in the area of Math addressing three curricular areas- Pre-Algebra, Algebra and Geometry.” He explained that the hope is that the “standard offering in the 6th grade will be pre-algebra, 7th grade algebra …8th grade geometry.” He explained that the middle school has already made changes in offering algebra in the 7th grade, by looking at students who are testing proficient in Math and putting them in algebra. “We’re starting to make the changes and have high expectations of our students. Now it’s essential that when you make these changes you have support for the kids.” He explained that the Math Task Force will support teachers in determining when to re-teach, how to re-teach and when to intervene so students are not being left behind. The final group will focus on creating a “scope and sequence” throughout the District in writing. “The high school already has a program, the elementary has a program, the middle school [does not].” He charges the Writing task force with coming up with a program “that will be supported all throughout [the District].” These 5 areas are aimed at training all students in a common system “so that when they get to high school, the teachers know what to expect.” The administrators have the duty of handling the different task forces at their campus. Johnson said the goal of all of this is to have a truly “unified district” and referred to a recent statement made by Nishino “ I’ve served in two or three unified districts, and I’ve yet to see one.”
Nishino began his remarks with “If you have no plan, no target, you surely won’t hit it.” He explained “We are going to have targets and road maps to allow our kids to be successful…The big gap we have, especially at secondary, is you have kids coming from different schools with different information… they don’t have the same background…different vocabulary, sometimes different textbooks…It’s not fair to our teachers [or students, to have to test on items that have not been taught].”

All consent and action items were approved. Meeting adjourned with future meetings set for October 4 and October 18.

Meeting Video

Joey Hurscher, 31 of Piru, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of arson. The fire was reported at approximately 1:40pm and Hurscher was standing outside the home when engines from Fillmore, Santa Paula and Los Angeles County arrived. Hurscher admitted to setting his house in the 3500 block of E. Telegraph Road on fire. No one was injured.

Danielle Stines

The UC Davis softball program and head coach Karen Yoder have announced the hiring of Danielle Stines as assistant coach. Venus Taylor was previously named assistant coach for the Aggies but later resigned due to personal family reasons.

Stines comes to UC Davis by the way of Menlo College where she served as head softball coach and senior woman’s administrator the past four years. As an administrator she was responsible for returning student eligibility, gender equity and title IX committees. Stines also served as the California Pacific Conference president for softball for the past three years.

"I have known Danielle for many years, first as a student athlete, then through her development as an assistant coach and observing her expertise as a head coach," said Yoder. "Coach Stines will bring a tremendous amount of experience, knowledge and most importantly dedication to the UC Davis Softball program. She will immediately make an impact in the day to day responsibilities, while developing athletes to be successful in the classroom as well as on the field. "

While at Menlo Stines produced 17 All-Conference student-athletes, 26 student-athletes on the dean’s list, three All-Region athletes, two academic All-Americans and an overall four year combined team GPA of 3.02. Stines also had her lone senior win the Collis Steer Award in 2011, presented to the female student-athlete with the highest GPA.

"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to be apart of an amazing institution and softball program," said Stines. "I am very honored to be apart of Coach Yoder's staff and extremely excited to begin our quest for another Big West title."

Stines came to Menlo after amassing an impressive playing and coaching resume. In 2006, she served as the head coach at Foothill College where two of her players earned All-Conference honors. Prior to that she served as head coach at CSU, East Bay (Hayward), recording a 26-9 record while helping her players earn NCAA Division III Independent Player of the Year. From 2003-05 Stines served as CSUEB’s assistant coach with the team accumulating a 79-27-2 overall record. The 2004 team finished with a stellar season and a trip to the NCAA West Region Playoffs.

After graduating from CSUEB, Stines served one year as an assistant for her alma mater under the direction of Karen Yoder. The Pioneers of CSU, East Bay (Hayward) were the CAL PAC Conference champions after posting an undefeated conference record. The team finished as NAIA regional runner-up. Stines then moved to the east coast to be an assistant at Elon University and UNC Greensboro, respectively.

In her playing career, Stines was a two-time First Team All-West Region selection (NCAA DIV. II her junior year and NAIA DIV II her second year). As a senior Stines won a batting title while hitting .614 in conference play and earned Conference Player of the Year honors. While at CSU, East Bay (Hayward) Stines was the career home run leader and is currently the single season home run leader. She also ranks in the top 10 for homeruns, RBIs and batting average. Prior to transferring to CSUEB Stines was a two-time All-Conference player at Moorpark Community College. Stines will be inducted into the Fillmore High School Hall of Fame this fall as a varsity softball and basketball standout in the Southern California area.

Stines competed on the California Stars tour to Appledorn, Holland where she was the tournament MVP while batting .564. She is also a two-time ASA All-American as a member of the HI Five Women’s Softball team where she won back-to-back national titles in two different classes.

Stines, a Southern California native, holds a BA in sociology and a MS in kinesiology with an option in athletic administration. Courtesy of Ryan Burns Assistant Athletics Communications Director UC Davis Athletics.

Former Council Member Cecilia Cuevas addresses the council.
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Leonore Young (left) received a proclamation from Mayor Gayle Washburn for her 22 years of service at city hall.
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The September 13, 2011 Fillmore City Council meeting had a number of proclamations along with City Manager Yvonne Quiring again addressing the City’s grave financial problems. Quiring gave a presentation to the Council on the proposed sales tax initiative that is expected be on the November 8, 2012 ballot. She also requested the Council review six resolutions to be considered at the League of California Cities Annual Conference and provide direction to their voting delegate on the City’s position.

Former Council Member Cecilia Cuevas spoke during the comment section, addressing the Council, “I come to you with a heavy heart.” Cuevas was speaking of the many members of the Planning Commission who recently resigned in protest. She spoke of the many years of experience the City is loosing with their departure. Cuevas said she believes the numerous complaints from the City employees over the past couple years and mass exodus of the Planning Commission are due to the failure of leadership by the present City Council. She added the Council has not dealt well with the present economic problems and the loss to the City as a result is tremendous. Cuevas added, “With the exception of (Council Member) Conaway, there has been very poor leadership. I hope the town realizes what this leadership has brought.”

Press play above to see former Council Member Cecilia Cuevas' public comments, a debate about tort reform and the city's Brown Act violation, and the City Manager's presentation on raising taxes.

Quiring began the proposed sales tax initiative presentation by first discussing the recent attempts the City has made to balance the budget by cutting $2.9 million in the last two years with this year’s budget balanced using $620k, from the General Purpose Reserves. But with an added burden, due to Governor Browns using Redevelopment funds to balance the States budget, Fillmore, along with all the other Redevelopment Agencies throughout the state, is required to pay the state what is being called a “ransom” to retain Fillmore’s Redevelopment Agency. Fillmore’s ransom payment is expected to be between $1.9 and $2 million, putting a great hardship on Fillmore’s finances and questions of the town’s ability to provide services at its going rate. The projected deficit for FY 2013 is $1.4 million with the General Purpose Reserve at $916,000. Basically, the City is spending much more than it is taking in and something must be done soon to generate revenue. Council Member Steve Conaway reminded everyone that the 2008-2009 revenue was above expenses, but those times have changed. Quiring warned that if there is another $1.4 in cuts, the City will fundamentally have to change its operations. Meaning; cut non-self supporting recreation programs, more cuts to police and looking for savings through contracting with another agency, cuts in fire services, close parks, no street repair and tree trimming, no code enforcement and closing the pool.

A Town Hall meeting will be held to address the needed tax increase on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 6:30 pm. Distribution of fliers with information on the meeting will be handed out in front of supermarkets in town on weekends throughout October and in November, along with advertisement on Channel 10 and through Service Clubs.
An increase in sales tax is one of the ideas being proposed to address the city’s shortfall, but other taxes were also considered. One was a property tax increase which would be an additional $110 to each per parcel in Fillmore and would raise $489,000. With this approach only property owners would carry the burden. With an increase in sales tax the burden would be distributed throughout the town and carried by everyone purchasing taxable items in Fillmore. It would mean an additional .75 percent or an additional 8 cents on a $10 purchase.
Quiring presented the six initiatives to be considered at the League of California Cities Annual Conference to the Council. The first resolution presented was the use of social media as a means of informing the public. Conaway voted No, responding by saying that many citizens do not use social media and he did not feel it should be depended upon to inform the public. Mayor Gayle Washburn, Council Members Brian Sipes and Jamey Brooks voted yes. Walker was absent.

The second initiative was Tort Reform with Conaway and Brooks voting No and Sipes and Washburn a Yes vote. Conaway explained his disagreement with the resolution by comparing the slim opportunities those with little funding have when coming up against a giant government entity.

There was then a heated debate between Sipes and Conaway, with Sipes citing what he called a frivolous law suit against the City of Fillmore for a Brown Act violation. Conaway rebutted stating the court didn’t see it as frivolous because the City lost and was fined $45,000.

The third initiative was Public School Education and bullying. All members voted No. The forth was support for building separate prisons for youth offenders convicted of adult crimes. Conaway and Sipes voted No, with Washburn and Brooks voting Yes.

The fifth initiative was replacing the death penalty with life in prison. Conaway, Sipes and Brooks voted No, with Washburn voting Yes and stating she was not in favor of the death penalty.

The last initiative was dealing with the City of Bell and its recent problems to which all members voted No.
About halfway through the Council meeting Washburn shared the guidelines of Roberts Rules of Order with the 40 or so who were in attendance. Roberts Rules of Order governs the conduct of formal meetings such as city council meetings. Washburn asked that those in attendance who would be speaking or commenting to the Council to be respectful and address their comments and questions to the Council, not the staff. She informed the public that due to some of the legal guidelines of the Brown Act, the Council may not be able to answer some of their questions. She also asked that those with comments respect the time limits place on speakers. Washburn also accused the media of intimidation, saying some don’t like the camera flash while speaking.

Washburn began the numerous proclamations that were presented at the meeting with one to the president of the Ebell Club, Fay Swanson, for the club’s donation of automatic doors to the Fillmore Senior Center. This improvement, which aids those who require assistance entering the building, was greatly needed. Joining the Mayor in the presentation was Donna Voelker, Director of the Fillmore Senior Center.

The next proclamation was to Leonore Young, or Leo as she is known by her fellow co-workers. Young was thanked for her 22 years of service to the town of Fillmore. While presenting her with the proclamation Washburn stated, “Cheerful is the word that best describes Leo.”

Next there was a proclamation to Raymond S. Brown Sr., the outgoing Film Commissioner, who was acknowledged for his well thought out guidance and input. Brown responded, “It’s been a pleasure. I’ve only lived here five years….it’s been a pleasure.”

Third to be acknowledged was Mark Austin. Austin’s service on the Planning Commission covered 12 years starting in 1999 and served a total of four terms. His pen was involved in many of the projects and businesses throughout Fillmore. During his long service he worked with a total of 36 other Commissioners.

The fourth proclamation was also someone from the Planning Commission; Vance Johnson, who served as chair for more than 10 years and worked on a large number of projects including the Water Recycling Plant. Accepting for Johnson was Douglas Tucker. Tucker, himself, then received a proclamation for his two terms, covering five years of service on the Planning Commission. Tucker was thanked for the great interest he gave in hearing from those property owners with concerns on how they might be impacted by development or changes in their areas.

With appreciation going in the opposite direction, Faith Lugo addressed the Council thanking them for their support and presented each Council Member with a gift bag. Lugo announced the upcoming “Relay For Life” event; which raised $97,000 last year to fight cancer. This year’s event will be held at Shields Park this Saturday and Sunday, September 17-18 between 10am and 10pm.

Ari Larson, President of Soroptimist International of Fillmore, addressed the Council with an invitation to attend ‘Success through Reading! Celebrating International Day of Peace.’ This event is being held Wednesday, September 21 between 3:30-4pm at the Fillmore Library. The book Let There Be Peace on Earth: And Let it Begin with Me will be read along with singing and participants will make special peace bracelet to take home.

Alicia Gonzalez, 70 of Fillmore, was arrested Sunday, September 11, for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, after she hit a motorcyclist on Highway 126.

Gonzalez was traveling the wrong way on the highway west of Fillmore at approximately 3:30 p.m., where she crossed into the eastbound lane.

Rodolfo De Los Santos, 54 of Fillmore, was driving his motorcycle eastbound when he tried to avoid the collision. De Los Santos was thrown form the motorcycle and sustained a broken leg, and abrasions.

Gonzalez was booked into Ventura County jail, and released on bail Sunday.

This weekend will be the second annual Fillmore High School Sports Hall Of Fame weekend. On Friday September 16th will be the Hall Of Fame Football Game at Fillmore High School, with Fillmore vs Morro Bay. The J.V. game will be at 4:30. At 6:30 the Hall Of Famer’s from last year, and this year’s class of 2011 will be introduced. We will also honor the 1945 Championship Football Team before the start of the Varsity Football game that starts at 7:30. We hope we can get the people of Fillmore out to see the legends of Fillmore High School, and root for the Flashes Football team.

Saturday The 17th will be the big day for the class of 2011. Five teams, The Boy’s 1925 Basketball Team, The Girl’s 1925 Indoor Baseball Team, The Boy’s 1959 Track and Field Team, The Boy’s 1971 Football team, and the Boy’s 1979 Baseball Team will be going into the Hall Of Fame.

One Coach will go into The Hall Of Fame this year. Jeff Fauver will be one of only eight Coaches’ in the Fillmore High School Hall Of Fame.

Sixteen players will be inducted this Saturday night. Class of 1916 William “Bill” Mayhew, class of 1945 J.C. “Razor” Taylor, class of 1946 C.D. “Buck” Basolo, class of 1950 George H. Garnica, class of 1952 Phillip “Phil’’ Rice, class of 1954 Dick Frederickson, class of 1957 Eugene Reyes, class of 1961 Joe Cook, class of 1964 Tom Hays, class of 1972 Gabriel “Booty” Sanchez, class of 1973 Tim Grove, class of 1980 David Miller, class of 1981 Roy Lee Alsup III, class of 1989 Brad Edmonds, Class of 1995 Danielle E. Stines, and from the class of 1997 April Kozar.

The gates will open at six p.m. on Saturday on Second Street at the High School. The Hall Of Fame will be open for all to view at that time. The ceremony will take place in the Fillmore High School Gym starting at seven p.m. Cake, coffee, and punch will be served in the gym before and after the ceremony. The cost is five dollars for everyone over the age of five. It is open to all that wish to attend.

We hope to see you there this weekend. It will be a great event for the town of Fillmore.

Beginning September 17, 2011 and ending on approximately October 23, 2010, United Water Conservation District will provide escorted access from its property to Piru Creek to whitewater boaters during the annual fall water conservation release from the Santa Felicia Dam located at Lake Piru. Access will be provided on Saturdays and Sundays only, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. when the dam is releasing water in excess of 200 cubic feet per second. Access will not be permitted without an advanced reservation. The first opportunity for whitewater boating will be Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18.

Boaters will be escorted by shuttle from the parking lot located on Piru Canyon Road, at the entrance to the Santa Felicia Dam, to the put-in site at Piru Creek. Boaters are responsible for getting themselves and their gear back from any take-out point along the Piru Creek to their vehicle. Boaters will not be allowed access through United Water Conservation District's property to Piru Creek without an advance reservations and a signed waiver form. Waiver forms can be obtained at the shuttle site or at United's Santa Paula office.

Whitewater boating and other related activities are inherently dangerous and hazardous recreational activities, and can lead to bodily injury, injury to property, and death. Inclement weather and water conditions may contribute to the dangers. Piru Creek may contain natural and artificial hazards, such as submerged and exposed trees, fences and wires. Also, measuring instruments have been installed in multiple locations in Piru Creek as a part of a required study plan to quantify the effects of the Santa Felicia Dam and water releases on steelhead habitat. Although the instrument has been flagged where possible, some may submerged in the creek and may pose a hazard. Whitewater boaters accessing Piru Creek from District property must sign a release waiver.

The Santa Felicia Dam was constructed to create the Lake Piru Reservoir with the capacity to store more than 100,000 acre-feet of winter runoff from Piru Creek and its tributaries. Its purpose is to recharge groundwater basins. Each fall, United Water Conservation District releases water from the Santa Felicia Dam down Piru Creek and into the Santa Clara River where it replenishes the Piru, Fillmore and Santa Paula groundwater basins. Some of water reaches the Freeman Diversion Facility in Saticoy where a portion is used to recharge groundwater basins on the Oxnard Plain. Whitewater boaters wanting more information about access to Piru Creek and water release flow rates can visit United's website at www.unitedwater.org call the Santa Paula office at 525-4431. For escorted access reservations to Pint Creek, please call 525-4431.